Caroni Swamp
Location
The proposed Caroni Swamp Pilot Protected Area is approximately 3,258 hectares and includes all the lands formerly designated as the Caroni Swamp Forest Reserve and also encompasses the areas set aside as the Caroni Swamp Wildlife Sanctuary. The pilot protected area is part of the Caroni Swamp system.
Boundaries
The pilot protected area is bounded on the west by the Gulf of Paria, on the south by the Madame Espagnole River, from the Gulf of Paria to the Main North-South Drain, eastward by the Main North-South Drain, from the Madame Espagnole River to the Caroni River and on the north by the Caroni River, from the Main North-South Drain westward, then northward and westward to the Sea Lots area.
Legal designations
- Prohibited Area (4,000 ha.) declared in 1987 under the Forests Act (Legal Notice # 141 of 1987):
- area between the Blue River and the Madame Espagnole River.
- Three Wildlife Sanctuaries (200 ha.) declared within the Forest Reserve in 1953 and 1966
- Caroni Swamp Forest Reserve proclaimed in 1936
The Convention on Wetlands, called the Ramsar Convention, is an intergovernmental treaty that provides the framework for national action and international cooperation for the conservation and wise use of wetlands and their resources. The Convention was adopted in the Iranian city of Ramsar in 1971 and came into force in 1975. Trinidad and Tobago is one of many signatories to the Convention.
Other designations and relevant policy documents
- Designated a Ramsar site (8,398 ha.) in 2005.
The entire proposed pilot site is owned by the state. Immediately east of the site (the main North-South drain) are State lands; private land holdings are known to exist near the Uriah Butler Highway – the extent of which is to be verified. These are mainly small business operations.
To the north of the site are state and private land holdings with agricultural and residential/commercial land use in the Aranguez area. The Beetham landfill and the Beetham Wastewater Treatment Plant both fall within the proposed protected area.
To the south, indications are that the lands are primarily state, with some private land holdings. Land use is agricultural and residential; the community of Felicity lies just south of the proposed protected area.
To the west is the Gulf of Paria, where fishing activities predominate. There are several fish landing sites adjacent to the pilot area. These include Carli Bay, Orange Valley, Brickfield to the south and Sea Lots (Port of Spain) to the north. Inland fish landing sites are located in Cacandee (Felicity) and on the Blue River just west of the Uriah Butler Highway.
Socio-economic description
In the 2011 Housing and Population Census, the estimated population for the Municipality of San Juan-Laventille was 155,606 accounting for 11.75% of the entire population of the country, with a population density of 651 persons per sq. km. Between 2000 and 2011, the population decreased by 1.07%.
Communities surrounding the pilot site include Sea Lots, Port of Spain and Aranguez to the north, and Felicity and Charlieville to the south.
The pilot area is within the Caroni River Basin catchment area that encompasses the Caroni Swamp. The hydrometric area covers a total of about 883 sq. km, or approximately 22% of the land area of Trinidad (Juman et al., 2002) and contains a significant portion of the national population, non-petroleum manufacturing and agricultural activities.
The site is used extensively for fishing, harvesting of crabs, oysters and conch. Fishing is a vital commercial activity in the adjacent marine areas as well as the inland waterways. There are two inland fish landing sites (Blue River and Cacandee) and several coastal fish landing sites in the vicinity (Sea Lots, Brickfield, Orange Valley and Carli Bay). Eco-tourism is also practiced, in the form of boating tours and bird watching is quite popular. Agriculture is a major activity in areas north, east and south of the Swamp.
Ecological Notes
The swamp hosts a diverse ecosystem consisting of mangroves, marshes, lagoons and mudflats that supports a rich diversity of flora and fauna. It is the largest mangrove wetland in the country accounting for 56% of this forest type (Juman and Ramsewak, 2013). The dominant mangrove species is the red mangrove (Rhizophora mangle). This mangrove area serves as a breeding/nursery habitat for fish (marine and freshwater species) and shrimp, which sustains fisheries in the Gulf of Paria. Additionally, it is of great hydrological value, as it provides flood water interception, sediment trapping and shoreline stability (Alleng, 1997). The system also serves as a receiving and absorbing body for land-based run-off and pollutants.
The mangrove habitat is a commercially important resource for organisms such as the mangrove oyster, mussels, clams and conch. The swamp provides a habitat to 190 reported bird species including migratory species and is home to the national bird, the Scarlet Ibis (Eudocimus ruber). Additionally, the Caroni Swamp is habitat to 24 species of fin fish, including several commercially important species such as tarpon (Megalops atlanticus) and grey snapper (Lutjanus griseus). Other important fauna include, the silky anteater (Cyclopes didactylus), the crab eating racoon (Procyon cancrivorous), oysters (Crassostrea rhizophorae), mangrove crab (Aratus pisonii), hairy crab (Ucides cordatus), the caiman (Caiman crocodylus) and the tree boa (Corallus ruschenbergerii).
- Caroni Swamp’s hydrology was altered in the 1920’s to facilitate rice cultivation under the Cipriani Reclamation Scheme. This resulted in the formation of large tracts of freshwater marsh. From 1942 to 1957, freshwater marsh and agriculture lands increased, but after this period there was a steady decline in both, as freshwater was diverted away from the wetland and salt water intrusion occurred further inland (Juman and Ramsewak, 2013).
Present Management
- Wildlife Section
- Forestry Division
- Illegal hunting of birds (including the Scarlet Ibis), and the harvesting of fish, shellfish and other wildlife within the swamp, poses a threat to these species at the site, in spite of the protected status of this wetland. Current levels and methods of resource exploitation are perceived to be not sustainable, particularly for oysters and crabs
- No consistent monitoring programme /data collected on wildlife species found in the Swamp
- Land-based changes in freshwater inputs to the Swamp. Drainage efforts to widen existing rivers and channels and land reclamation for agriculture have altered freshwater inputs to this swamp. These changes can cause important changes to the salinity regime of this ecosystem, in particular the loss of freshwater marshes from the Caroni Swamp ecosystem (Juman et al., 2002; Juman and Ramsewak, 2013). The hydrological changes brought about by dredging and other works carried out by the Ministry of Works and Infrastructure (Coastal Protection Unit) have negatively impacted the ecosystem
- Polluted runoff from agricultural activities, industrial wastewater and sewage, affects the water chemistry of the swamp, with knock-on effects on the biodiversity of the site (Juman et al., 2002)
- Climate change impacts including potential sea-level rise, can increase the landward migration of mangroves, and exacerbate the loss of the freshwater marshes associated with this system
- Access to the site remains largely unregulated and current management actions on this front appear largely ineffectual or inadequate
- Forest fires during the dry season threaten the natural freshwater marshes near the Uriah Butler Highway. These marsh areas are at present outside the proposed PA boundaries; the threat of fire will only be applicable if the boundaries are adjusted to include the marshes
- Habitat degradation and associated negative impacts on fauna due to the large amount of garbage entering the site via the rivers/channels
- Saltwater intrusion from the non-functioning sluice gate at Felicity is negatively affecting agricultural production in the area
- Erosion on the coastline boundary
- The University of the West Indies: Trinidad and Tobago Research and Development Impact Fund: Caroni Swamp RDI research projects
- Institute of Marine Affairs: studies are currently taking place on benthic sites which include the Caroni Swamp pilot protected area
- Centre for Resource Management and Environmental Studies – Research projects
- Food and Agriculture Organization / Government of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago: Improving Forest and Protected Area Management in Trinidad and Tobago
- Project Document
- Knowledge, Attitudes and Practices Survey (2016-2017)
- Livelihoods Assessment Report for Caroni Swamp (2018)
- User Resource Survey (2018) Caroni Swamp Pilot Protected Area
- Draft Management Plan (2019)
- Knowledge, Attitudes and Practices Survey (2019)
- Management Plan for the Caroni Swamp Protected Area 2019-2029
- World Wetlands Day Observance (2020)
References
- Information Brochure for Caroni Swamp assets: "My Caroni"
- Information Brochure on watershed connections to Caroni Swamp: "My Caroni"
- Alleng, G.P. 1997. Coastal Wetlands in Trinidad and Tobago: Status and trends. Institute of Marine Affairs. 56pp.
- Central Statistical Office. 2012. Trinidad and Tobago 2011 Population and Housing Census Demographic Report. Ministry of Planning and Sustainable Development, Government of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago.
- Forestry Division. 1979. Management and Development Plan: Caroni Swamp National Park. Forestry Division, Ministry of Agriculture, Lands and Fisheries.
- Juman, R., Bacon, P. and Alleng, G.P. 2002. Caroni Basin Case Study, Caribbean Basins, LOICZ (Land-Ocean Interaction in the Coastal Zone) Global Change Assessment and Synthesis of River Catchment/Island Coastal Sea Interaction and Human Dimensions, with a desktop study of Oceania Basins. LOICZ Reports and Studies No. 27, ii + 174 pp, LOICZ Texel, The Netherlands
- Juman, R. and Ramsewak, D. 2013. Land cover changes in the Caroni Swamp Ramsar Site, Trinidad (1942 and 2007): implications for management. Journal of Coastal Conservation, Volume 17: 133-141.
- Tyler, S. 1999. National Parks and Wildlife Management Project: Coastal, Freshwater and Marine Areas Sub-component Technical Report. World Bank/GEF Trinidad and Tobago.
- Wilson, T., Deare, F. 2000. Report on the social assessment of the proposed Caroni National Park. Ministry of Agriculture, Land and Marine Resources.
